Some Democratic senators regret voting to confirm Kristi Noem as DHS secretary

Washington – Five days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, seven Democrats of the Senate voted to confirm Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Internal Security.

Almost five months later, most of them are in order to her, some of them going so far as to say that they regret their votes.

“I am very disappointed. I am very disappointed with her,” Senator Tim Kaine said this week, D-VA., Told NBC News. “If I voted on her today, I would certainly not vote for her.”

First year senator Andy Kim, Dn.J., also said that he would vote differently and oppose his appointment if he could do it again.

“She arms the Ministry of Internal Security. She takes so many actions at the moment that are making us less safe, and going against many things she said that she was going to concentrate,” Kim said on Wednesday. “So I have no confidence in his leadership at the moment.”

Besides Kaine and Kim, the other five democrats who voted to confirm Noem were meaning. Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters, both from Michigan; Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, both from the New Hampshire; And John Fetterman from Pennsylvania. The vote on January 25 was 59-34With the Republicans voting unanimously for Noem. Seven senators, including six caucus with the Democrats, missed the vote.

At the time, several Democrats found it difficult to find their way on the question of the application of immigration, which was widely directed by the DHS, after Trump’s electoral victory.

Now, the atmosphere has changed in the wake of the aggressive expulsion program for administration and travel to target holders of green cards and international students. In addition to that, the Democrats expressed their indignation after Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif., has been deleted by force From a DHS press conference last week when he tried to ask Noem.

Slotkin said she had voted for Noem because Michigan has “major actions with the Ministry of Homeland Security” as a border state which is “about to open a huge new bridge” to Canada.

But while Slotkin ceased to say that she changed her vote, she criticized Noem’s performance.

“She was not very controlled in politics. I see her more as a passerby, often, in politics – in particular what is going on at the moment,” said Slotkin. “And you know, we have urged our committee to bring it more responsibility.”

Peters, the best democrat of the Senate Committee for Internal Security, which oversees the DHS, said that it was “not surprised” by Noem’s actions and does not agree with many of them.

When asked if he maintained his vote to confirm Noem, Peters said: “I am the member of the committee classification, and I must have a working relationship with the secretary, regardless of the positions they occupy.”

“And so far we have been able to have this,” he said.

Fetterman – Who broke with his party on certain questions, including immigration – did not comment when he was asked if he maintained his vote for Noem, or how he assesses his performance.

The two New Hampshire senators criticized Noem in the statements provided by their offices, without saying if they maintain their votes.

“Senator Hassan has serious concerns about some of the recent actions of the Ministry of Internal Security and continues to put pressure for more answers and surveillance – including the treatment of Senator Padilla last week,” said Hassan spokesman Sahil Mehrotra.

And Shaheen’s spokesman Brendan Duff said: “Senator Shaheen was disappointed by the mandate of the secretary at the head of the Ministry of Homeland Security and remains concerned about his agency management so far, including his serious lack of transparency. It intends to continue to demand answers and to keep the ministry responsible. ”

A spokesperson for the DHS did not immediately return a request for comments.

Senator Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Corn Noem when he was asked to assess his performance as secretary of the DHS.

“It is really difficult to imagine someone who does a worst job as an internal security secretary,” said Schiff in an interview. “Draconian, incoherent and inflammatory policies; anarchy; the rendering of people outside the country to maximum security prisons; the arrest of American citizens; the constant and bizarre spectacle of its dressing outside a maximum security prison; or in its various cosplay.